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Spectators at the DC Open were warned that Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina would not shake hands with Victoria Azarenka.<\/span><\/p>\n During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Svitolina has refused to shake hands with opponents from Russia or Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Belarusian Azarenka was <\/span>booed after Svitolina beat her at Wimbledon<\/span><\/a> and to avoid a repeat, the scoreboard showed a message during Svitolina’s 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 first-round win in Washington DC.<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s the right thing,” said world number 27 Svitolina.<\/span><\/p>\n “I asked for the WTA [Women’s Tennis Association] to respect the decision of Ukrainians and they did.”<\/span><\/p>\n At the end of the match, both players headed straight to the sidelines and the umpire.<\/span><\/p>\n Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, playing on her 34th birthday, said the warning to fans had arrived “18 months too late” and asked whether it was a big story.<\/span><\/p>\n “We just move on. We play a tennis match. As I said in Wimbledon, I accept, respect somebody’s position. That’s it,” she added.<\/span><\/p>\n Both players had failed to clinch the first set on their own serve before <\/span>Wimbledon semi-finalist Svitolina<\/span><\/a> won it in a tie-break.<\/span><\/p>\n The message was shown after the first set, and there was just one hold of serve in the second as 28-year-old Svitolina sealed victory over the world number 19.<\/span><\/p>\n